My toe was indeed broken, but I was only limping a little bit. And although Max didn’t understand sleeping in, he did seem to adapt to the slower pace of life the last few days. He’d been content with games of fetch in the front yard in lieu of our normal longer walks or hikes. But I was healing fast, so we’d be back out there, tromping around in the woods, in no time. Especially now that I didn’t have to worry about being followed or what I’d find when I got home.
Josiah was in the kitchen when we went in, getting the coffee started. He was shirtless and I could see a dark bruise on his back where he’d hit the ground. His arms had scratches but the worst injury was the knife wound in his leg. Although it was deep, it hadn’t done any damage that wouldn’t heal with time. I could tell he was favoring it by the way he stood and walked, but for the most part, the injuries he’d taken saving me weren’t slowing him down.
“Morning.” I slipped my arms around his waist and leaned my cheek against his back.
His sleepy voice was rough and gravelly. “Morning.”
“How does your leg feel?”
“Sore. But it’s okay.”
A wave of emotion swept through me and I held him tighter. He’d risked his life for me. I loved him so much.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah. I just have a lot of big feelings right now.”
He gently loosened my grip and turned around to face me, then gathered me into his arms. I relaxed into him while he let me feel my feelings. A burst of sadness for Hayden, the boy who could have been my brother, followed by relief that our ordeal was over. And above all, gratitude and love for the man holding me.
“I love you so much,” I whispered.
He kissed my head. “I love you, too.”
I took a deep breath and pulled away. The sting of tears subsided. “Sorry. I’m okay now.”
He smiled and kissed my forehead.
Max had been waiting, tail wagging like crazy, for his breakfast, so I fed him while Josiah made coffee. We sat down together on the couch, both wincing a little as we took our seats. Fighting for your life on the edge of a cliff was no joke.
I’d talked to my mom shortly after our rescue and again since we’d been home. To her credit, she’d been a lot more concerned about us than the fact that my dad’s affair had become public knowledge. I knew it would be hard for her to face her friends in the coming weeks, but she’d assured me she would be fine. And I tended to believe her. She’d seemed lighter, somehow, like she’d freed herself from the prison of lies she’d lived in for so long.
I hoped it meant a better future for our relationship. I still didn’t agree with how she’d kept the truth from me. But I’d decided to forgive her for it. It didn’t excuse what she’d done, but if I’d learned anything from Hayden, it was not to hold onto anger and resentment. It would just fester and wind up poisoning me.
My phone buzzed over on the kitchen counter. As much as I didn’t want to move from my spot snuggled next to Josiah, it might have been my mom. She’d been checking up on me frequently over the last few days.
I would have been doing the same in her shoes.
“I wonder who’s texting you this early,” Josiah said as I got up off the couch.
“Probably Mom.”
I put my mug down and grabbed my phone. But it wasn’t my mom.
“It’s Lou,” I said. “He wants to know if I can meet with him this morning.”
“About time.”
“I’m going to say yes. He’s probably just going to tell me he’s closing the paper.”
“Maybe. Although he wouldn’t have to do that in person.”
“True.” I typed a reply to Lou. “Who knows, maybe I’ll still have a job.”
“Make him work for it.”
I smiled. “You know what, I actually will. After everything we’ve been through, I’m not going to settle.”
He twisted so he was looking at me. “Before you go, ask yourself a question.”
“What?”
“Do you still want the job?”
I nodded slowly. He was right, that was something I needed to consider. Was a small-town newspaper the right place for me? Surprisingly, the answer came easily.
“Yes. I actually do still want the job. Not if he’s going to act like a jerk and pretend that he didn’t do anything wrong. But if he’s going to keep the paper open, and we can get past what happened, then yes, I do want to work there. I actually like it a lot.”